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Former hockey pro Sean Avery has praised Heated Rivalry. (Getty\/Warner Bros)<\/p>\n
Former hockey pro Sean Avery has praised Heated Rivalry. (Getty\/Warner Bros)<\/p>\n
Former hockey pro Sean Avery has said he thinks the steamy LGBTQ+ hockey<\/a> show Heated Rivalry<\/a> could be the key to supporting a gay National Hockey League (NHL) player coming out in the future.<\/p>\n The 45-year-old retired New York Rangers\u2019 star has shared his thoughts on the show and the potential of closeted hockey players coming out.<\/p>\n Heated Rivalry charts the rivalry between Canadian Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams<\/a>) and Russian Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie<\/a>). Over the years of their competitive rivalry, they engage in a passionate but secret romance<\/a>.<\/p>\n Speaking to Rolling Stone<\/a>, Avery shared: \u201cI don\u2019t know firsthand of any gay players past or present. That being said, I do think I must have had a gay closeted teammate at some point in my career.\u201d<\/p>\n He also noted that \u201cHeated Rivalry\u2019s success should open the door for the first gay NHL player, if there is one.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018I don\u2019t know firsthand of any gay players.\u2019<\/p>\n Avery\u2019s comments tie in with the sportsman\u2019s long history of LGBTQ+ allyship. In 2011, he appeared in a Human Rights Campaign video to advocate for same-sex marriage.<\/p>\n Currently, there are no openly gay current or former players on NHL teams. However, in 2021, Luke Prokop<\/a> became the first active player under an NHL contract to come out. Though he\u2019s yet to compete in the major leagues, he plays for the minor league team, Bakersfield.<\/p>\n \u201cI love Heated Rivalry,\u201d Avery continued. \u201cIt\u2019s the worst hockey show ever made, but the most incredible gay hockey show ever made. Sometimes I look away from the TV, it\u2019s pretty graphic.\u201d<\/p>\n Last week, Avery jokingly posted an \u2018analysis\u2019 of the show on Instagram<\/a>. \u201cI love this show,\u201d he captioned his video.<\/p>\n However, he doesn\u2019t seem to be a huge fan of the hockey being played. He pointed out some moves but also sarcastically questioned some of the decisions: \u201cNotice the coach wearing shoes on the ice during practice\u2026 interesting choice.\u201d<\/p>\n Many are happy with Avery\u2019s comments, though some have said they\u2019d prefer a different voice from the hockey world to speak on the show.<\/p>\n \u201cNo im glad it\u2019s acknowledged by a player but did it have to be sean avery,\u201d one fan wrote<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Avery has been embroiled in several controversies throughout his career, both on and off the ice. He was suspended after making misogynistic comments, one of which ended his career at the Dallas Stars.<\/p>\n ;Avery has also been accused of abusive behaviour towards his former wife, public records reportedly<\/a> show his ex-wife filed a restraining order against him, which contained details of his alleged abuse of her.<\/p>\n